Collectivism on Display in Charlottesville, Again: New at Reason

Carrying tiki torches and led by alt-right figurehead Richard Spencer, about 50 people gathered in a park where a statue honoring Confederate general Robert E. Lee stands—though the statue has been covered with a tarp since August, when it was the focal point of a larger, more violent protest. At that earlier protest, clashes broke out between the alt-right protests and so-called "antifacists" who descended on the city to oppose the white nationalism on display. A young woman was killed when an alt-right protester drove his car into a crowd, and 19 others were injured.

After that surreal, chaotic, tragic weekend, it became clearer than ever that the alt-right is little more than identity politics of the right. The events in Charlottesville—in August and again last night—should be a reminder about the dark places where collectivist thinking can lead, writes Eric Boehm.